French Defense: King's Indian Attack
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Statistics from Lichess
5,610,053 games: White 49.0% / Draw 5.1% / Black 45.9%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 4,028,7484M | ||
| 453,139453K | ||
| 266,032266K | ||
| 209,848210K | ||
| 186,807187K | ||
| 76,81977K | ||
| 70,25770K | ||
| 56,27856K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
−0.08 The position is about equal
Best play: 2... d5 3. Nf3 dxe4 4. dxe4 Qxd1+ 5. Kxd1 Nc6 6. Bd3 Nf6 7. a4
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
The stronger the players, the better this line does for White: White scores 49% under 1400, 53% at 2200 and up and 53% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 2M | |
| 1400–1799 | 3.3M | |
| 1800–2199 | 3.1M | |
| 2200 and up | 719K | |
| Masters, over the board | 8,825 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Caruana, F.
- Kasparov, G. – Kramnik, V.
- Giri, A. – Topalov, V.
- Yu Yangyi – Caruana, F.
- Rapport, R. – Caruana, F.
Rated blitz, rapid and classical Lichess games by rating band, and over-the-board games of players rated 2200+ from the Lichess masters database, updated Sep 26, 2026
Overview
French Defense: King's Indian Attack (ECO C00, Open Games) is a variation of the French Defense, reached after 1. e4 e6 2. d3 (2 moves).
In 5,610,053 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 49.0%, Black 45.9% and 5.1% were drawn. Black's most played move here is 2…d5, in 72% of those games.
It branches into 2 named variations; the most played are French Defense: King's Indian Attack, Franco-Hiva Gambit and French Defense: Reversed Philidor Formation.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the French Defense: King's Indian Attack
The most played answer, 2…d5, also scores best for Black: 48.9%, with Black winning 46.2% and White 48.5% of 4M games. Of the main answers, 2…c5 scores lowest: 48.3%. Stockfish's first choice is also 2…d5.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: Black's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Popularity by year
The French Defense: King's Indian Attack has lost ground since 2016: 0.2% of Lichess games in 2025, down from 0.25% (its peak: 0.28% in 2018).
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.25% | 88,703 |
| 2017 | 0.26% | 143,956 |
| 2018 | 0.28% | 216,482 |
| 2019 | 0.25% | 310,578 |
| 2020 | 0.24% | 714,537 |
| 2021 | 0.21% | 824,546 |
| 2022 | 0.21% | 780,661 |
| 2023 | 0.21% | 774,234 |
| 2024 | 0.2% | 730,981 |
| 2025 | 0.2% | 709,242 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.21% | 226,288 |
Share of rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500 (blitz, rapid and classical) that reach this position, by year; 2026: January to April. Which openings are rising and falling
Variations (2)
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “French Defense: King's Indian Attack (C00)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/french-defense-kings-indian-attack